Nick Leddy
| birth_place = Eden Prairie, Minnesota | career_start = 2010 | career_end = | team = New York Islanders | former_teams = Chicago Blackhawks | league = NHL | prospect_league = | prospect_team = | draft = 16th overall | draft_year = 2009 | draft_team = Minnesota Wild }} Nick Leddy (born Nicholas Michael Leddy on March 20, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the 1st round (16th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. According to projections, Nick has enormous potential as an offensive defenseman and playmaker both at the collegiate and professional levels. Playing Career Amateur Playing Career Eden Prairie High School After a solid sophomore year at Eden Prairie High School, Nick recorded five goals and 22assists for a total of 27 points in his junior year. These numbers propelled him to second-team all-Metro and earned him an honorable mention for all-state honors in Minnesota. The USA Hockey National Team Development Program and USA Hockey acknowledged Nick as one of the best young players in the nation. Instead of heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan to join the USNTDP, Nick chose to finish his high school career with his teammates and returned to Eden Prairie for his senior year. He posted 12 goals and 33 assists for a total of 45 points during that 2008-09 season which earned him the prestigious Minnesota "Mr. Hockey" award and the title of Metro Player of the Year by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. In addition, the Associated Press named him to first-team all-state. Nick was also awarded a position on the Class AA all-state tournament team. Freshman Year As a freshman at the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2009-10, Nick scored a power-play goal in a 6-1 rout of the University of British Columbia in his NCAA debut. However on October 30, 2009, Nick suffered from a broken jaw against Alaska-Anchorage. This injury caused him to miss eight early-season games. When he returned to the lineup, he scored his first career goal in his second game back in a win at Minnesota State on December 5, 2009. In early January of 2009, Nick collected an assist in each game of the Golden Gophers' rout of Harvard, and soon followed up with two more assists against Alaska-Anchorage later in the month. Nick was named WCHA Rookie of the Week after a three-point game against Colorado College on February 20, 2010, scoring the game-winning goal with two assists. Shortly after having his NHL draft rights traded from Minnesota to Chicago on February 12, 2010, Nick heated up in February, tallying four assists, five points, 21 shots on goal and a plus-4 rating for the month. He carried that momentum into March, scoring yet another power-play goal against Wisconsin on March 7, 2010. Nick ultimately was named the team's Rookie of the Year after playing 30 games and ranking third among the team's defensemen in points with 11. He led the team in plus/minus (plus-6), all while maintaining excellent discipline on the ice. Nick committed just two penalties all season. The Golden Gophers were 7-1 when he had at least one point. NHL Career Nick was drafted in the 1st round (16th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. On February 12, 2010, the Minnesota Wild traded his NHL rights to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Kim Johnsson in exchange for Cam Barker. In September of 2009, Minnesota coach Don Lucia stated that he foresaw Nick spending at least two years in development with the Golden Gophers before making his transition to the NHL and a professional career. On July 27, 2010, it was reported by the Chicago Tribune that the Blackhawks had agreed to terms on a three-year, $2.7 million contract with Nick who will turn professional and leave the University of Minnesota after playing one season according to his agent, Neil Sheehy. According to Blackhawks' general manager Stan Bowman on July 12, 2010 at the end of the Blackhawks' prospects camp: "(Nick) is really smooth out there and I think he's going to be a Blackhawk for many years." On October 8, 2010, Nick played his first NHL game against the Colorado Avalanche. On October 11, 2010, he scored his first NHL goal against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. Nick and the Chicago Blackhawks won the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. On July 3, 2013, he signed a two-year contract to remain with the Chicago Blackhawks. On October 4, 2014, he was traded to the New York Islanders in return for Ville Pokka, T.J. Brennan and Anders Nilsson. On February 24, 2015, he and the Islanders agreed to terms on a 7-year $38.5 million contract. International Play USA}} Nick's high school and post-secondary career was supplemented with intermittent international play and development. He was a member of the U.S. squad in both the under-17 and under-18 Five Nations tournaments in the Czech Republic. In addition, Nick participated in the 2009 U.S. under-18 evaluation camp in Lake Placid, New York in association with USA Hockey and the USA Olympic team. He had three goals and two assists in just five games at Lake Placid. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International Statistics Category:1991 births Category:American ice hockey players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players Category:Minnesota Wild draft picks Category:People from Eden Prairie, Minnesota Category:Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:New York Islanders players